Looking both ways once before you cross the street in the U.S. may be sufficient, but in Costa Rica unless you want to be a pancake on the pavement, I suggest looking at least six times. Unlike in the U.S., in Costa Rica pedestrians do NOT have the right of way. Crossing the street here is like playing a game of Frogger; one wrong move and you're toast. The combination of the fast rolling "stop" that is the usual at stop signs, and the fact that speeding through red lights isn't uncommon in addition to disorganization and going over the speed limit yields a big challenge for people attempting to cross the street. Yes, there are cross walks but they are located in somewhat inconvenient places and not all streets have them. I'm not trying to scare anyone; I just want to shed some light on what it's like here in CR. I do everything I can to make sure I can cross the street safely... it just takes a lot more effort than in the U.S.. I haven't had any close calls, but I've seen people that have. All I can say is if you are brave enough to cross, keep your head on a swivel, walk fast, and hope for the best.
My house
Up the street from my house
Down the street from my house
your house looks like a fancy prison haha. but i'm glad the gates are there to keep you safe :). i am glad you realize how dangerous crossing the street is so when you do it you make sure not to get distracted by a butterfly or anything. im glad you like it there so much, it makes me happy. - Ryan
ReplyDeleteIt's apparent that many of the houses in your upscale neighborhood have gates or bars to keep the unwanted out. But I don't see any broken glass in the tops of the garden walls to discourage intruders? And no cruces de peatones on your street! Cuidado, hija.
ReplyDeleteLove, Dad
Dad, I live in a nice neighborhood. There is a guard stationed on the corner near my house who watches over the street all day and night. There isn't any broken glass on top of the walls here, but I have been through areas where barbed wired and other similar methods are used to keep out intruders. I am lucky to live here. I get the impression that it's safer than some other areas. And as far as crosswalks go on my street, I don't live on a busy street and there are rarely any cars going through the neighborhood. Its a lot easier to cross here compared to the main streets I have to cross. But regardless, I'm careful :)
DeleteCrossing the street in Costa Rica reminds me of an event that occured on the Vegas Strip!!!!!AAAAAHHHHHH Remember that? Love you, Mom
ReplyDeleteHahaha!!!! It's exactly like that... but less arm flapping
DeleteHi Sydney, Glad to see pics of your neighborhood and where you live. It's been hot here today...90...and even hotter tomorrow. Hail shredded my flowers Wednesday night. That's about all from here. Take care. Love, Miss Ann. (written 6/8/12) Oh, watching the Rockies losing again tonight!
ReplyDeleteI heard about the crazy weather! I'm sad everyone's flowers died. I'm going to try to take some pictures of my neighborhood today and write about them later. I meant to tell you this, but when I was in Santa Cruz at the beach, they were showing a Rockies game on the tv where we were. I explained to my host family their not so great record and that they are from my state. Just thought I'd share that with you.
DeleteLove,
Sydney